As an NHS patient, someone on benefits, and someone who has never earned enough to actually pay tax, I think to many I would be placed firmly in the category of "One of Them". The same "Them" who are to blame for the recession, the lack of jobs, the poverty line and the rain whenever you're just about ready to hang the washing out to dry. It gives me a wonderful view into the trials and tribulations being one of "Them". The problem with being one of "Them" is that "They" encompass such a huge section of the world.
From the genuinely ill, to the almost deathly ill, to scroungers, to those out of work struggling to find anything new – it’s bizarre, but considering how often we're all packed together, it's weird how similar we all are to absolutely everyone else. People on Dialysis may have a certain section of their days locked off, but the rest of the day is theirs to use just as anyone else. The same can be said of people who are seeking employment, or a better life, or politicians, or pretty much any group of people. More and more often these days, people are considered sections, rather than people, and right there is the problem with the world, or at least a contributor to many of the problems.
Too often we try to deal with the world in sections. Patients and Doctors, Taxpayers and People on Support, Tories and Liberals... Them and Us. When you sit down to actually talk to members of the sections however, you'll often find that what “They” say matches up perfectly with what “We” think. Patients and Doctors always have lives outside of medicine; Taxpayers and those on Support have the same hobbies, and often the same experiences in life regardless of their current work situation. There's an obvious joke about the Conservatives and Labour right now, but I'll save that for a different article. What we need to do, as a whole, is to stop trying to "fix" certain sections of people rather than listen and then help, to stop trying to blame certain sections while applauding others. We are all people, with lives, prospects, dreams, football teams and favourite superheroes. We are all people, rather than sections: we are all part of “Us”.
Except Piers Morgan. He's one of “Them”